Anthony Fauci's enduring impact on the AIDS crisis

After 38 years as the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci announced on Monday that he will be stepping down from his role in December. Appointed to the position in 1984 by then-president Ronald Reagan, Fauci has personally overseen the federal government's response to some of the 20th century's deadliest infectious diseases -- from tuberculosis and COVID to SARS and MERS. But, as he told The Guardian in 2020, "my career and my identity has really been defined by HIV." The prevention and treatment of HIV has been a prioritized area of research for the NIAID since 1986, and one that Dr. Fauci has devoted much of his public service to. The current state of AIDS research and response in America is thanks in no small part to his continued efforts in the field.